Hair Types

Which One Are You?

By Willie Jones

If you are like most people you will likely notice a personís hair and style on first impression. We also notice if a person has thin or thick hair, curly, wavy or straight hair. We may not notice everything around us but when it comes either sex, we instinctively observe our competition or potential future partner.

When it comes to hair, geography plays a large roll as to what type of hair we inherit. For example;

-People of Asian decent have black thick hair. If you were to look under a microscope, you would see that the strand of hair is thick and well rounded. This type of hair usually looks lustrous and straight because of the weight and in some cases blue black in color. It can be quite striking. People with thick hair have approximately 150,000 thick hairs on their head and combing can be challenging to say the least. Leave in conditioners with gentle even pressure are great for this hair type. Also, if you are not using salon quality hair care products, you may have to change out to different brands on a regular basis so that you avoid product build up. Better still, use salon quality products all the time!

- The only other hair that can be thicker than Asian hair is the true red head! Red hair originated in northwest Europe, particularly Scotland. The study of ancient history denotes the early Celtics, known as Caledonians, were very large limbed and had striking red hair. The early Romans described them as a wild people. Today, the red headed people of Scotland still have somewhat of a wild, hot tempered reputation.

-People of European descent can have blonde or dark hair. The fairest blondes tend to come from central Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The rest of Europe has predominantly darker hair. Close inspection under a microscope shows that these strands of hair are thinner and round to oval shaped. These types of strands can give you straight or wavy hair. There is not as much weight to this type of hair as the Asians. People with thinner hair strands tend to have approximately 90,000 hair strands. A lot less than their Asian cousins. Volumizing shampoos and conditioners are excellent for this hair type.

-People of African decent have dark, tight, very curly hair. Again, under close inspection under a microscope shows that the hair stands are thin and flat. It is the flatness of the strands that cause the hair to curl right up. There is not much weight to it. The most important thing to watch for, is keeping this type of hair moisturized. The flat thin strands are prone to drying out so a gentle cleanser and moisturizing conditioner are very helpful in keeping the hair natural and soft looking. Care also needs to be taken when combing or brushing because breakage occurs easily with this hair type. Minimize the use of blow driers and curling irons.

Genetically, the dominant hair color is brown. This can mean anything from light to very dark brown, almost black.

With the intermixing of races, it is thought that natural blonde hair will soon die out and that the only option to be blonde is through hair dyes.

If you look at North America, you will see the most diverse hair colors and styles due to the migration of people from all parts of Europe, Russia, Asia, Africa, South America, etc. Some races have dominant genes when it comes to hair type and color. For example, if you have a marriage of Asian with Caucasian, you will almost always have children with dark thick hair. African American and Caucasian couples will generally have children thin dark tight curls. If you wonder about your own hair, a little research into your ancestry will give you some answers.

No matter what your hair type, there are specific needs to keep your hair in good health. A Major part of that being diet! A healthy, natural diet goes a long way in keeping your hair shiny and healthy looking no matter how thin, thick, wavy or straight it may be.

If youíve ever wondered about your hair type and do not have immediate answers, do some research and you may be surprised at what you find!

About the Author: Willie is co-owner of http://www.joneshaircare.com a site dedicated to providing information for men and women with hair loss and to assist with doctor developed products for hair re-growth and hair care.